Some 38th Parallels (TV series episode)
Some 38th Parallels was the 92nd episode of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H, and, also the 20th episode of the fourth season of the series. Written by John W. Reiger and Gary Markowitz, and directed by Burt Metcalfe, it first aired on January 20, 1976. Synopsis Hawkeye has impotency problems, Frank auctions off the 4077th's garbage, and Radar becomes distraught after a patient he has taken special interest in dies. Full episode summary The 4077th is busy with wounded, all from Col. Coner's unit. Coner is willing to risk the lives of his soldiers in an attempt to retrieve the bodies of the fallen, causing even more casualties. There's other things going on - Frank gets excited over the idea of selling the 4077th's garbage to local contractors, Radar helps save a patient when he alerts a busy B.J. to a "funny look" on the patient's face, and Hawkeye suffers his first bout of impotence with Nurse Able. More wounded arrive, along with their commander, the aforementioned Col. Coner (Kevin Hagen). Hawkeye and B.J. try and talk him out of his determination to risk so many lives, but he dismisses them. Hawkeye turns to B.J. for advice about his "problem", then Col. Potter. They both give him the same advice - his nerves are so brittle from being at the 4077th, no wonder this is happening. Hawkeye seems unsure. While passing by one of B.J.'s patients, a Private Phelan, Radar notices something and notifies B.J., who comes to the patient's aid and tells Radar that he may have just saved Phelan's life, which delights Radar. Later, Radar visits Phelan in Post-Op and gets to be friends with him. Private Phelan develops complications, and B.J. has to operate again. Unfortunately, Phelan doesn't make it through the surgery, and Radar is devastated. Frank starts holding garbage auctions, but Hawkeye ends up buying all of the trash. Later, Hawkeye, B.J., and Col. Potter are in the Mess Tent, when Col. Coner announces he's leaving. He is indifferent to another one of his men dying the night before, rattling off his "kill ratio" as a defense. As Col. Coner prepares to leave, Hawkeye instructs them all to follow him outside. A chopper flies by, dumping the bundle of garbage right onto Col. Coner, covering him in filth. B.J., Hawkeye, and Klinger laugh, Frank is mad, and Potter, while smiling, insists he hasn't seen a thing. This "letting go of the reins" (as Potter put it), invigorates Hawkeye. He searches out Nurse Able, seemingly ready to resume their romance. Later that evening during a movie, B.J. asks Hawkeye how it went with Nurse Able; Hawkeye says it was "terrific." Frank pesters Col. Potter about charging the locals $1 each for helicopter rides, but the Colonel isn't hearing it. He offers some popcorn to Radar, but Radar is still deeply upset about the death of Pvt. Phalen. Fun facts *Actor Kevin Hagen would return to M*A*S*H in Season 7, playing a different, and much more agreeable, character. *Loretta Swit does not appear in this episode. *Although "trashing" the over zealous gung-ho Colonel is amusing to Hawkeye and B.J., such action would not prevent excess casualties arriving at MASH 4077 yet in at least two episodes: ''The Ringbanger'' and ''Preventative Medicine'', Hawkeye takes drastic action against Gun Ho commanders...which did result in fewer casualties for MASH 4077. Guest stars/Recurring cast *William Christopher as Father Mulcahy *Kevin Hagen as Colonel Coner *George O'Hanlon Jr. as Private Gerald Phelan of George O'Hanlon Sr voice of George Jetson *Lynette Mettey as Nurse Able *Richard Lee-Sung as Man at Auction (uncredited) Category:Season 4 episodes Category:Visitors and Patients